This
site was created using more coffee than should ever be consumed by one
human being, an occasional glass of great single malt highland scotch,
a nonlinear imagination, and a lifetime of exquisitely fine and strange
experiences.

Screen
Resolution and Color:

This
site is configured for a minimum of 800 x 600 screen settings and looks
best at 1024 x 768. The early work on this site was all done on an ancient
monitor at 640 x 480. To learn how to change your monitor´s resolution
and color settings, please go here
and follow the instructions. With today's technology, I love the fact
that a jillion colors are available and that is how I prefer to see my
world. It is also the world in which I create my art. If you are viewing
my work and the colors look grainy and strange, then you are probably
viewing at 16 bit. Try boosting your color setting to 24 or 32 bit color
and you will feel as if you just stepped out of Kansas and into OZ.

Download
Time and Compression:

One
word: ACK! It is my own personal preference not to run when I am in an
art gallery. Simply because I am viewing someone's work on a machine that
allows me access to their work within literally seconds, does not mean
that I need to have access to it by even a couple more nanoseconds. Certainly
I could compress the heck out of my work until it is pixelated mush, but
I won't sacrifice quality for a few seconds less download time. If someone
is not interested enough in my work to allow it the time required to download,
then I sincerely am happy that they move on to another site. I truly mean
that and in a nice way. I would hate to have ever experienced someone
"running" past my work in a gallery. This is not to say that I do not
consider load time. What I do consider is finding that fine line between
compression and quality. And before anyone writes to me to suggest that
I chop up my larger pieces into several smaller pieces, this does not
always decrease load time. In fact, it can increase bandwidth usage, and
slow down load time, because the server has to be called for each piece
of the graphic, there is increased k in HTML code due to tables, etc.
to hold the pieces. . . and well you get the drift.

I
have a shoebox full of other programs, . . .you know the story. They sit,
they collect dust, they make expensive coasters. This is not to say that
I do not like them, I simply do not use them. Just as with traditional
media, I find myself falling in love with favorite tools, and exploring
them to their fullest, while others remain cast aside until some rainy
day or stretch of boredom prompts me into taking them out and playing
with them. However, that said, for me, tools are like books and people,
if they fail to captivate or intrigue me within the first few minutes,
I rarely go back for more, having learned over my lifetime that my first
impressions are usually correct. Again, all this means, is that those
programs are not for me. Because of that, I am absolutely enchanted when
I look at work done with them by artists who are highly skilled in their
use. The one tool I can't live without? Anything
from Metacreations

Clip
Art And Stock Shots:

So
many times I have heard artists rant and rave about their piece
being "hand drawn" on the computer. This always makes me chuckle. My philosophy
is that tools are only as good as the hands that wield them. I have seen
some incredibly striking work done with the use of clip art and stock
shots, and some terribly poor and mediocre work done all from scratch
and vice versa. I have seen some incredible work done with the most inexpensive
bundled software and/or freeware, and pathetic work done with cadillac
programs. It is the mind, eye, and skill of the artist that truly renders
a beautiful piece. When I am captivated by a master painting, it is the
painting first that enthralls me, then it is the process that may or may
not be of interest to me.

None
of my work is scanned. I do not have a scanner, not because I wouldn't
use one, I just don't have one. Some of my work is completely rendered
by hand using a stylus pad, and others incorporate small portions of digital
stock images into what I think of as digital collage work. I don't place
higher value on one or the other. I do place value on composition, design,
color theory, and skilled execution.

There
are so many hundreds of sites available on the net that address this subject
far better than I ever could. Therefore, my suggestion to you would be
to do a search, and pick and choose from the best. A great place to start
would be Aspirations
To Sweetness. This site has a splendid resource section and you would
be hard pressed to find a better place to begin your search. Another outstanding
resource is the Web
Design Clinic. Be sure to catch the latest issue of their ezine
for articles and tips by some of the net's best.

Awards:

Stop
The Hate Award. The STH award cannot be applied for and is given only
to those sites that I feel have an outstanding and long term commitment
to promoting tolerance and cultural relativity. Each month, however, I
do recognize an artist who has contributed their work to Stop
The Hate.

Please
let your conscience be your guide and kindly refrain from highjacking any of
the works from this site. Remember: what goes around comes around. . .and if
that is not enough, I have two great attorneys named Mrs. White and Miss Scarlett,
an afghan hound named Pirin, and I see all, know all that happens on this site.